Abstract Book of the 5th World Conference on Media and Communication
Year: 2025
DOI:
[PDF]
The Representation of Refugees and Asylum seekers in British Newspapers
Hebah Alabbadi
ABSTRACT:
On 7th March 2023, British Prime Minster Rishi Sunak announced his campaign (Stop the Boat). The campaign outlined the new policy that allows the government to send ‘illegal’ migrants who come over small boats, to their original country or, a third country (Rwanda). This campaign has brought refugees and asylum seekers again to the front pages with headlines such as “Rishi Sunak to reveal plans to remove migrants arriving in small boats” (Financial Times,7th March 2023). This research project explores how asylum seekers and refugees are represented in the coverage of British newspapers from the beginning of 2022 until the end of 2023. Furthermore, it discusses the representation theories highlighting significant works such as Hall’s and Pritikin’s. The research project also goes in-depth into the interlocking relationships between language and ideology that construct the representation process. For the study, 30 news articles were selected following Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The analysis found that newspapers draw interpretive themes when they address refugee crises: 1. unwelcome intruders: they are depicted as a huge group of aliens who are sneaking into the lands without permission. Water metaphors such as influx were used to increase public fear. 2 criminals: Journalistic discourse tends to link them with criminality rates. This frame was connected particularly with specific ethnic groups. 3. economic burden: refugees and asylum seekers are constructed as people who are squandering the national income and taxpayers’ 4. The tragedy: it was delivered by humanizing them using sentimental language and giving them voices.
keywords: Refugees, Representation, Asylum seekers, Newspapers